Found Our Way To Love
by Winter Sapphire
Summary: She's on a journey to find the love she lost. He's on a quest to help her learn to love herself. It isn't a mystery that their ultimate goals are one another. Follow the story of Emmett and Elle as they fall in love. Emmett/Elle.
1. Chapter One: Emmett

Author's Note: Okay, I seem to have become obsessed with the new Legally Blonde musical, which has made it nearly impossible for me to focus on anything else at all. And so, out came this little contraption. I loved how in the musical we saw more of Emmett, and how he was given more of a back-story than in the movie (I've always loved his character). But, I also knew there had to be more than tutoring and studying that would eventually bring Elle and Emmett together. So that's where this came from. Just a little story that follows the line of the musical, but in Elle's and Emmett's point of views. It won't necessarily go back and forth each chapter, but the POV depends on who I want the part of the story told by.

With that long author's not by, please enjoy! And remember, reviews **are loved.**

**Universal Disclaimer**: I do not own Legally Blonde, the movie or the musical. If I did, there would be more Emmett.

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**Chapter One: Emmett**

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"Uhhh... hi." I stood there awkwardly, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, staring at the three new law students who had had enough class to show up to the meeting circle. Truth be told, I had expected there to be less and three was a pretty small number to begin with. Silently, I mulled over what to say. I had never been a very outgoing person, although I'd gotten much better at public speaking over my years at Harvard. But, I had to admit to myself, I was still the same person deep down: shy, secluded, and... utterly obsessed and addicted to Tetris.

Well, when I wasn't in the courtroom anyway.

Clearing my throat, I continued, "I'm Emmett Forrest. I was a law student here myself, and – well, I suppose I still am, kind of... I'm Professor Callahan's assistant, and--" I cut myself off, noticing the blank stares on the students' faces. Goddamn rambling habit. Slowly, I continued.

"Well, on behalf of all Harvard, I'd like to welcome and congratulate you all on making it this far, to... Harvard. Uh, I know from my own experiences that it was no easy task. I mean, I busted my--" Okay, I was doing it again. These people all probably thought I was some sort of modern... _caveman_. Unintelligible and...

I glanced down at my rugged city appearance for a split second. Unintelligible and unkempt.

Defeated at my attempt to make a good first impression I feebly finished, "Why don't we all just get to know each other a little better?"

That seemed to work; the busy-haired man farthest from me (I can't seem to remember his name) started to tell his own story of success. As the group spoke, I found myself only half-listening. I figured it'd be good to take the chance to daydream, a pastime I hadn't been able to do much nowadays. I zoned out, picturing a large house on the cape, and the beaming smile on my mother's face as I signed--

"What about you, Forrest?"

I blinked drearily at the mention of my name, snapping back to reality. "Huh?"

"Your _story_, Mr. Assistant." The girl – was her name Emily? – smirked at me, and I vaguely recalled her mentioning something about men being incompetent.

"My story?" I frowned, still confused as to what they meant.

"Why _you_ came to _Harvard_," she growled, obviously frustrated as I caught her muttering under her breath, "Men..."

"Oh." I froze, swallowing the lump that had taken over my throat. "That story." Silently, I prayed for a miracle. There were a few things I had never told anyone, one of which was my reason for going out for law. "Well, I-"

"I _love_ your top! It is so fatigue chic!" I breathed a sigh of relief as a confident female voice drifted in from off to the side.

Gratefully, I let my eyes drift over to where her voice had come from, "Hello, can I-" My voice caught in my throat as I saw my savior, a girl who had to be the most beautiful, the most bubbly, and the most... _pink_ law student I had ever seen in my life.

Disbelief that someone like her could actually be studying law clouded my mind, and I asked the only question I could think of, "Are you in the right place?"


	2. Chapter Two: Elle

**Author's Note**: Whelp, here you have it. The second chapter. It's strange, I can't get any inspiration for my other stories, yet this one comes easily. Maybe I've listened to the soundtrack one too many times. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Can you say "E-L-L-E?"

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**Chapter Two: Elle**

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Ohmigod, _this_ was Harvard Law School? It was all... quiet, and... boring... and gray. It was _gray_. I _hated_ gray. Why was I here again?

Oh, right. Warner. I looked at the map of Harvard again, stopping for a second. Bruiser sat down beside me, staring up at me with his big puppy eyes and tilting his head to the side. He yipped.

"I know, I know. I'm lost. This Campus is so big." I had never learned to read a map. I usually had someone else with me to help me, like Daddy or Mom, or...

Warner. I huffed, folding up the map. "Okay, Bruiser. We're going to do this. We're going to find Warner." I nodded to myself, clenching the map in my hand with determination. "I am Elle Woods. I am serious. And I am going to win back my man."

Bruiser yipped again, pulling forward on his leash and causing me to trip forward and look up.

A small little group of students were talking no more than ten feet away. I grinned. Time to make my illustrious first impression.

I bounced over, noting the only girl in the group. This was it, Elle. Show them how serious you can be. Then they can tell Warner.

"I _love_ your top! It is so fatigue chic!"

Wait. Was that serious? It had to be. I mean, I used 'fatigue' and 'chic' in the same sentence. That's serious. Yeah, seriously not serious. Er...

Before I could gather my thoughts again, the man who had just sat down on the bench glanced my way. "Hello, can I-" his jaw visibly dropped for a second before he immediately closed it. I giggled silently to myself; I always managed to leave the boys speechless.

"Are you in the right place?"

Okay. Maybe he wasn't speechless. I gave him an odd look. "Of course I'm in the right place. This _is _Harvard Law School, isn't it?"

The man shrugged lightly, resting his chin in his hand. He, as well as the rest of the group, continued looking at me, so I smiled my trademark smile and continued.

"I'm Elle Woods, and this..." I reached down and picked up Bruiser, whose tail happily wagged, "... is Bruiser Woods!"

The girl whom I had commented on raised her fist. " Enid!"

"Oh my God." I stuck out my hand. "We both have names that start with an e!"

"Oh my God," she said, rolling her eyes as she shook my hand, "We're, like, practically twins!"

I blinked. Okay, what was _her_ problem? I opened my mouth to respond, but the man who had spoken earlier cut me off before I had started, "I'm Emmett. We were just going around the circle. Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"

"Oh, me? Okay." I moved to sit next to him. "Well, I'm a Gemini with a double Capricorn moon, and I've just transferred from UCLA. I was--am--the president of the Delta Nu sorority, and I founded the charity 'Shop For a Cause.'"

I grinned, nodding. They had to be impressed. I mean, I was _me_.

The man--Emmett--seemed to be pondering this, letting out a small, "Huh."

"'Oh!" I jumped in my seat as I thought of something else. "And just last week I talked Beyoncé out of buying these truly _heinous_ tube tops." I waved my hand dismissively. "Whoever said tangerine is the new pink is _seriously_ disturbed."

Emmett's attempt at keeping a straight face cracked for a split second, but he quickly replaced it, coughing and telling me, "I did not know that."

I blinked, glancing at my watch. Oh, darn it. Talking about myself had distracted me. I had to find Warner. "Does anyone know where I can find Criminal Law 101 with Professor Callahan?" I paused before adding, "And Warning Huntington III?"

Nobody seemed to want to answer, until Emmett cleared his throat. "Uh, actually we're all headed there now. I'm sure someone can..." He paused as the other students scattered suddenly. Man, lawyers were _weird_. "...someone can show you where it is... ha."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's in Hauser." He pointed. "Over there, second building on the left."

I smiled. Maybe they weren't _all _weird. "Thanks! Say, you're headed there, too, right?" Emmett visibly stiffened.

"Uhh... yes."

"Walk with me!" I grabbed his arm as I stood up, pulling him up as well. "We can talk! I've never met someone who was a lawyer, unless you count my boyfriend, Warner Huntington III." Boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend. Oh well. He didn't need to know that. Warner would be mine again before he even knew it. "He's going to be a senator when he's thirty, did you know that?"

"... I did not know that." Wow, what a man of few words.

I nearly skipped to the classroom, doing everything in my power not to run. Warner.

Emmett didn't talk much on the way (not that I was surprised). He just told me that Callahan liked students who raised their hands to answer questions.

I'm not sure if I've ever met someone so drawn into himself. I mean, he wasn't exactly anti-social. Just, awkward. Shy, I guess. I knew there were people like that in the world, but I'd always been surrounded by the outgoing, scream-y, bouncy types like myself... not quiet.

That's when a certain crispy-locked brunette dreamboat entered my vision. I offered a quick 'okay-thanks-see-you-bye' to Emmett, rushing through the crowd. "Warner!"

He didn't turn around. Couldn't he hear me? "Warner!"

I stopped. Wait. This might not be a good idea. I don't want him to think I'm a crazy stalker.

Even though I am.

Ah! Shut up! It's for love!

Sure, darlin'. Keep telling yourself--

In an attempt to shut out the voice, I quickly made the choice to sharply turn around and laughed--loudly--at the person behind me.

I have to admit, I was caught off guard as I found Emmett staring right into my eyes, also looking completely shocked.

Wait, my eyes? He was staring at _my eyes_? That's a first.

Of course, that thought didn't last long. "_Elle_?!"

This is your chance, girl. Go for it.

I spun around, plastering a fake-yet-believable look of surprise on my face. "Ohmigod, Warner! I _completely _forgot you go here!"


	3. Chapter Three: Emmett

**Author's Note**: Yaay, Emmett again. Here's the next chapter. After the next chapter I'll probably skip ahead to Chip On My Shoulder, unless you guys want Paulette introduced and the party? Tell me, 'cause I'm not quite sure. I love Paulette, but I also want to get to where Elle and Emmett really start to get to know each other, because I have all sorts of things like Thanksgiving and Christmas and Emmett's mom and Elle's parents and the secret handshake and Emmett's happy dance and--well, I won't try to get ahead of myself. But, I'm excited. So, I need feedback on what you guys want. Remember, read and review.

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**Chapter Three: Emmett**

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Okay. Who, _exactly_, was this girl? She definitely did not act like any law student I had ever met.

I had followed her to her dorm room so she could drop of her little Chihuahua, and from the brief glimpse I had managed to catch before she closed the door, it was already expertly decorated and had more colour than I had seen in a long time.

As we reached Callahan's classroom, Elle bolted suddenly, and I found myself rushing to keep up with her. I pushed and shoved, something I _never _did. What was going on with me?

"You're just curious," I muttered to myself, "I mean, she's so different--"

I had been so caught up in my own thoughts I hadn't even noticed Elle had stopped until she turned around and faced me. I felt my breath catch in my throat, and I had to do everything possible not to take a step back in surprise as her gray-blue eyes bore into my own. The girl from the meeting earlier, Enid, yelled out a curse or two as she wheeled herself around me but I didn't really care. I was too goddamn _shell-shocked_ to speak.

What the _hell_ is going on with me?

By the time I got it in my head to do anything at all Elle's attention was already focused on somebody else, whom I could only predict was the infamous "Warner Huntington III."

I started to move away, but something about Warner's tone caught my interest.

"_Elle_?! Elle – what –" he seemed baffled, shocked, confused, "What are you _doing_ here?"

Hadn't Elle said he was her boyfriend?

"Well, _I _go here, silly!" Elle had the same smile on her face that she had when she had been telling the group about herself: large and unrestrained.

"_You_?" Warner snorted his disbelief. "_You_ got into _Harvard Law School_?"

Asshole.

I strode away then, not wanting to hear anymore of this guy's voice.

Brooding, I directed most of the students to their seats. Nearing the bottom of the list, I smiled as I saw a familiar name. I glanced over in Elle's direction, noting Warner had by now moved away. She had a barely noticeable frown etched on her face, and as I looked around at the other students, I found myself believing I was the only one who had detected it.

Seeing Elle sad even in the slightest made me even angrier at whom I could only presume was actually her _ex_-boyfriend. It was my own opinion that if you cared about someone--_truly_ cared about someone--_or_ if they truly cared about you, then you did _not_ go around putting them down.

Determined to make her smile again, I approached her. I tapped the clipboard with the end of a pencil, clearing my throat to get her attention.

"Woods, comma, Elle. That must be you. Now, why aren't you in your seat?" I chided her playfully, and I found myself holding an uncharacteristic grin on my face as she laughed lightly.

"Sorry." She shrugged. "Where's my seat?"

"It's, ah, the only open one," I informed her, pointing to the seat behind her with my pencil.

"Oh." She turned around, glancing at it, before turning back to me, the smile I had seen earlier this morning back on her face. "Right."

I grinned again, whispering for her ears only, "Don't worry, it happens to the best and to the worst of us." She nodded as she sat down, and I took that cue as the end of our conversation. I spoke louder then, gaining the attention of the class, "Ah, okay. Professor Callahan should be here soon, so just... sit tight."

I stood, waiting, by the door, glancing at it every five seconds as the clock ticked away in the background. Where was Callahan?

Determined to break the awkward silence, I pointed at one of the students. "You know, three years ago I was sitting in that _very_ seat, and I heard all the same rumors. I'm sure you've heard them, too." I smiled at the memory., "'Callahan's ruthless,' he... 'bathes in the blood of sheep,' blah blah blah..." I laughed to myself. "Only, heh, partly true. Anyway, what you really need to know is--"

"--You have the right to remain silent." I froze as Callahan's voice drifted in from the doorway. He glanced at me, winking. "Anything you say _can_, and will, be used against you."

I rolled my eyes, standing idly by as Callahan made his infamous debut lecture about "blood in the water," an idea I never really liked or got the hang of but at least understood.

It's just that ruthless wasn't in my dictionary. Usually.

I held the clipboard gingerly in my hand, holding it out whenever Callahan needed a name.

Callahan kept throwing questions at various students, beating around the bush. I waited for him to get to his point--the internship.

It didn't take much longer. As soon as he said he words "guaranteed career," nearly every head in the room popped up.

And so did one hand. I raised my eyebrows as Elle's hand shot up, as did Callahan.

"Uhh, yes, Ms..." he glanced backwards at me. I didn't even need to look at the clipboard.

"Woods, comma, Elle." "Woods. Elle Woods."

The two of us spoke simultaneously, and Callahan gave me an odd look before turning back towards Elle. "Well, I think at least two people have had their morning coffee. Now, Ms. Woods, can you summarize the case of State of Indiana vs. Hearne from your reading, please."

Elle hesitated, "Oh." She mulled over her thoughts for a second. "I actually wanted to answer the puppy question. You know, the mean guy running them over? I'd--"

Callahan cut her off, "But I'm asking you about the assigned reading."

Elle laughed, and I found myself wincing as she said, "Okay, seriously, _who_ assigns a reading for the first day of class?"

I glanced at Callahan, finding him staring at her, obviously torn between anger and amusement.

"... You have guts, Ms. Woods," he finally settled on, before he snatched the clipboard out of my hand and looked it over.

"Ah, Ms. Kensington." He read a name and looked up as a black-haired woman sitting next to Assho--er, Warner--looked up and nodded.

Callahan had that smile on his face, that kind where you just knew he had some sort of plan or secret.

"_Hypothetical_ question," Callahan started, glancing quickly at Elle again and back. "If you taught a class here and you assigned a summer reading... what would you do if someone you called on hadn't read it at all? Let it go, or--"

"No." The Kensington girl sent a smirk down at Elle. "I'd kick her out."

Elle's eyes widened, and her gaze drifted between the two.

"Well, Ms. Woods." Callahan turned his attention back towards her. "I'm very sorry, but you heard your classmate. I'll see you in class again tomorrow, and this time you better bring more than guts into my classroom."

Elle looked up at Warner almost pleadingly, but he didn't even notice her as he sat whispering to Kensington. There was a familiarity between them that I'm fairly certain Elle had noticed too as she stood up and bolted from the classroom.

I waited for the class to get back into order again and for Callahan to get immersed in his lecture before I snuck out the door.

I knew what it felt like to be humiliated in front of an entire class, and I knew no one else would be chasing after Elle to make sure she was okay anytime soon. I was surprised to see her still in front of the classroom, pacing and mumbling to herself.

I cleared my throat, reaching out to tap her on the shoulder. "Uh, hey."

She jumped, spinning around to face me with wide eyes, and for the second time that day her eyes stared into mine.


	4. Chapter Four: Elle

**Author's Note: **Okay! Here's the next chapter. And I figured out what to do: the next two chapters will be in Emmett's point of view, and then I can have two in Elle's point of view for Paulette and the party without feeling guilty. :D Anyways, READ and REVIEW. Reviews make me write faster. or, at least, they inspire me.

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**Chapter Four: Elle**

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It's just not _fair_. How was I supposed to prove to Warner that I was serious if I just got kicked out of class? What was Callahan's _problem_, anyway? Why couldn't he just let me answer the other question? And that girl...

I stopped in my pacing for a second as I remembered the way she had been looking at _my_ Warner.

"And did you see how _he_ was looking at _her_?" I was thoroughly disgusted and speaking to myself, but I didn't care. Everyone else was still in the class anyway. It's not like anybody would be listen--

"Uh, hey." I jumped as someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around, and my the grip on my purse's strap tightened reflexively. Turns out, I panicked for no reason. (Well, to be fair, being blonde and hot had gotten me into some trouble before. Besides, you _never_ know what to expect. For all I knew, he could've been the famous hit-man from the mafia!) As I saw a by-now-familiar pair of warm chocolate brown eyes staring at me I relaxed.

"Oh, Emmett," I breathed a sigh of relief, "You scared me."

He gave me his lopsided smile. "Sorry, it's an unfortunate side-affect of caring that I've tried to get rid of. Alas, to no avail..."

I frowned slightly in confusion, not quite sure as to what he meant, when I realized class was still going on. "Wait. What are you doing here? Won't you get in trouble with Professor Callahan?"

"Screw getting in trouble," Emmett spat angrily, and for a second I thought maybe, _maybe_, he was mad at me. I hadn't given him a reason to, had I? Emmett didn't seem like the person to get mad for no reason... No, it couldn't be me.

Whatever it was that had made him snap out of his normally calm attitude disappeared as his face softened into its shy shell again and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. For some reason, he reminded me oddly of the boys back in my first year of high school. God, that seemed like _ages_ ago.

"I, uh..." He hesitated. "I just wanted to make sure you were, y'know... okay."

It seems to only bit of caring or understanding I had received since I had gotten here had been from a man I still barely knew, but had already grown to respect. It even _almost_ made me forget the incident in the classroom five minutes before.

Almost. I still wasn't going to forgive that ugly whore for getting me kicked out of class.

I smiled and poked Emmett in the forehead. "And they say lawyers don't have hearts."

Emmett shrugged. "Well, I was kicked out of class once my first year, so I know how it feels. It's awful."

"Oh, it's absolutely _horrid_!" I agreed, before another idea struck me, "Hey, you're Professor Callahan's assistant, right? Do you have any idea on how I can get back into the class?"

He pondered on that for a second before he smiled. "Yeah."

I squealed, jumping with excitement. "_Really_?!"

"I do." He repeated my action from earlier, poking me in the forehead with his finger, and the _Cosmo_ girl in me realized he was acting differently than when I had met him; more relaxed and at ease. "Come back to class tomorrow, and _this_ time make sure you do the reading."

A cold laugh interrupted any response I might have said, and I glanced back as the girl who had gotten me kicked out of class leered at me from the doorway. She fixed her icy gaze on the two of us, and I sniffed slightly and raised myself a little higher. I was a Delta Nu. There was no way this girl was going to get under my skin anymore than she already had.

"That might be a bit of a challenge for her," she said, and I tilted my head to the side a bit. Her gaze fixed itself right on me as she finished;

"Law books don't come with pictures."


	5. Chapter Five: Emmett

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the delay, school's approaching. I'll try to update as often as possible, but they might be more distanced now.

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**Chapter Five: Emmett**

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I hated her.

... Wait.

Did I just actually think that? I have never hated anyone, _ever_, in my life. I've disliked people, sure, but never to the actual point of hating them. Why would I even be _considering_ hating this girl? Because of how she treated Elle?

No, that wasn't it. If that were true I would hate Warner too. I didn't. I thought he was an arrogant asshole who obviously couldn't see past the bridge of his nose very well, but I didn't hate him. My gut told me that he didn't actually _try_ to act that way, it's just the only way he _knew _how to act.

But, still... why...?

Of _course_! It made sense. Maybe Warner didn't realize the way he acted, but this woman was conscious and aware of every single thing she said, and she _meant_ it.

"You know," Elle spoke then, steady in her words as she coolly looked at Kensington, "it really is unfortunate when the only way you can make yourself look good is by making others look bad."

"I didn't _make_ you look bad," Kensington huffed, "_You_ came to class unprepared." She glanced quickly at her watch then before looking back up at Elle, that same smirk on her face. "Oh! It looks like class has been let out for two whole minutes already. Aren't there girls going _wild_ somewhere without you?"

Inwardly, I fumed. How could this girl be so... _stereotypical_? Sure, Elle was a bit... _eccentric_ in the world of Harvard, but... if I could see the intelligence hidden behind the pink and blonde and pretty face, why couldn't they? I mean, I was perceptive, but not _that_ perceptive. Why couldn't they see her untapped potential?

And why the hell was I the only one who could see it?

It didn't matter; for the first time in what seemed like decades, I felt anger. Not the unimportant day-long-fight with a friend over something stupid, but the kind of anger that's usually associated with murder. Or, in this case, idiocy.

I gritted my teeth, ready to give this pompous woman a piece of my mind. "I--" Elle quickly glanced at me, a look in her eyes I recognized from when my father still lived with me and my mom. Countless times I'd tried to defend Mom when my father insulted her, and countless times she'd given me the look that told me she had to do this for herself.

With a huff and a sigh I let go of everything I had wanted to say, let out a quick, "I'll give you ladies a moment then," and strode away, turning back towards Callahan's office. Maybe I could bang my head against a wall five million times to clear it or something.

I jolted suddenly as a shoulder rammed into my ribs, not really hurting me but making me stumble slightly to the side. I raised my head up in my still hot anger, completely ready to release the pent-up frustration in my blood.

But Warner walked quickly past, not even bothering to give me a first glance let alone a second. I tensed again quickly, almost turning around to yell at him, punch him, do _something_, when I remembered Elle. I deflated instantly. No matter how rude this guy was, he was important to Elle. I had to respect that.

Distressed and feeling slightly dejected I continued my way to Callahan's room, slamming the door behind me as I entered and plopping into one of the seats with a sigh, covering my face with my hands. "God."

Callahan looked up from his desk, that knowing smile on his face. "Lady troubles?"

I glanced at him from between my fingers quickly before I closed them again. "Not in the way you're probably thinking," I told him, before admitting with a sigh, "But, more or less, yes."

"You disappeared before the class was over," Callahan mentioned subtly, his eyes glued back onto his computer screen again.

"I had something to take care of," I muttered distractedly, waving my hand dismissively.

"Right, right," Callahan matched my tone of voice. He didn't believe me for a second.

"I _did_ have something to take care of," I emphasized. "Well, _someone_... but she doesn't have any friends here. Nobody takes her seriously."

He knew exactly what--or rather, who--I was talking about. "She doesn't take _herself_ seriously, Emmett. She's your typical dumb blonde broad. I'm not even sure how she got into Harvard in the first place."

"You're being very judgmental after only one class," I informed him with a hint of disdain. If anyone, I'd expect _Callahan_ to be able to see what she was really worth. Was it really only me who could see it?

"My first impressions are usually right," Callahan said with a touch of his really _annoying_ pride.

"I don't think this one is," I snapped at him suddenly. Why were successful lawyers always such... _asses_?

Heh, maybe Warner would make a good lawyer after all.

I stood up then, grabbing my bag and throwing it over my shoulder. "See you tomorrow, _Sir_." I pushed my way out the front door, shutting it behind me before Callahan could even muster up a response.

Unfortunately, as soon as I started my descent down the steps, my foot found itself entwined in something, and I stumbled to the side, thankfully into the dusty dirt than the concrete. Still, it hurt as I crashed face-first into the ground, my arms and legs limp in every direction with the offending object still dangling off my ankle and a cloud of earth rising around me.

What a way to end the day. "Augh..." I grimaced, propping myself up on one elbow and coughing.

"-ett! Emmett! Omigod, are you all right?!" I jumped suddenly as Elle's voice suddenly came into focus, and I turned myself over to my back, shaking my head like some sort of dog to rid it of a little dust.

"Whu-?"

"Oh, God, I'm such an idiot! I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! I shouldn't have left my purse there and--"

I blinked drearily, squinting as I tried to get some of the dirt out f my eyes. "Elle."

"--God, you could have gotten seriously hurt, you were lucky to go off to the side! Geez, just hit me in the head with a rock! I-"

"_Elle_!" I shouted slightly, and she blinked, looking at m. "God, you must be really upset or something. I've never heard anyone talk that mu-" I froze as I finally got a good look at her face, crestfallen and looking as though it were barely suppressing tears. "Are you okay?"

She gasped then, opening her purse without even removing it from my ankle and digging through it.

"Oh, _God_! Is my mascara running!?"


	6. Chapter Six: Elle

**Author's Note**: I know I'm straying a little ways away from the actual plotline of the story, and I'm trying my darnedest to finally get a nice, even flow. It's almost there... almost there. Oh! Guess what? Paulette's coming soon! ... This entire author's note is completely pointless.

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**Chapter Six: Elle**

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Ugh, I felt so sick. The image of Warner and that... that girl would be forever plaguing my vision, I knew it would. I just couldn't escape it. It was a persistent taste of vile in my mouth.

"Elle?"

I blinked, glancing down at Emmett as he sat up, half-heartedly patting his clothes, brushing the loose dirt away.

"Oh." I jogged my brain back to the present, having almost forgotten that Emmett was even there. I jumped forward, grabbing his arm and helping him back up on his feet. God, I can't believe I had actually left my purse where absolutely anyone could have gotten caught up in it.

Secretly--though I would never, ever, ever admit it--I was glad the person who had tripped over my purse had been Emmett. Not that I was glad that I had ended up hurting him, but more like... of all the people in the world, he was the one I trusted most to not make a big deal out of it. Or, you know, make fun of me. Even my best girl friends, Margot and Serena and Pilar... I doubted they took themselves very seriously, let alone me. Had I really only met him that morning? It already felt like... weeks. Even months. I barely knew him, and yet... for some odd reason I felt like I didn't need to know the trivial details of his past. If the blush and eyeliner seemed good you didn't question where it came from, right?

I smiled, taking my designer purse as he handed it to me, and he smiled that awkward smile of his back. He rolled his shoulders back slightly, wincing as he leaned his head to one side. I frowned. "Are you sure you're all right? I'm really, really sorry."

"I'm fine," Emmett assured me. "I'm really more concerned about... well..." he trailed off, but I knew what he meant. He had hit me as a person who could read things from the beginning. At first I half-expected him to be gay or one of the guys who read _Cosmo_ for all the genuine concern and tact he had shown, but I knew that was silly. I knew gay men. Emmett was definitely not gay. And he didn't seem like the Cosmopolitan type. He was just... perceptive.

But my heart skipped a beat as he brought it up. I had really hoped I had been wrong and that he would not notice the little traces of hurt and confusion left over, but no such luck.

Did I really want to tell Emmett about Vivienne and Warner? This wasn't his problem, right? There was no need...

But... even so...

"They're dating," I blurted out suddenly, and my mind was instantly away from Emmett and back to the scene that had just occurred. I couldn't get the picture of the two of them kissing out of my head. "Vivienne Kensington and my Warner are dating."

There. I had said it. He knew. Emmett stared at me, an unsure look on his face, and I felt obliged to continue.

"I just don't get it! I mean, sure, she's smart, and she's not exactly horrid looking--though she could use some work--but what does she have that I don't have?" My mind was reeling and my heart was racing as I tried to make sense of it for the umpteenth time. "I grew up in a great neighborhood--Richard Simmons is my neighbor, for Pete's sake! I'm pretty, I know how to have a good time, I can make him happy. I mean, I'm blonde! What else could he--" Whoa. That was it. "Of course," I smiled then, realization dawning on me, "Of course! Of course, of course, of course!"

"... What?" Emmett asked me, glancing at me worriedly. He probably thought I was crazy.

But what had just occurred to me was crazy, so it fit. I grinned at him in the way Bruiser grins at me when he finds his favourite TV show (I taught him how to work the remote; after all, I wasn't there all the time to help him). He just looked more confused than ever.

"What is going through your head, Elle?" He persisted.

My grin widened as my idea became revealed. "I need to go brunette."


	7. Chapter Seven: Emmett

**Author's Note**: Here we go again... a pretty (I think) long chapter in Emmett's POV. I wrote it in AP Lit & Comp and World Lit & Comp one day. Hey, at least they're English classes... I'm kinda delving more into Emmett's mind, trying to bring out parts of him we didn't see in the movie or musical while still keeping him the same.

Did any of you ever notice we never met one of his friends other than Elle (and Callahan, if he counts, but that one's a given)? You know he has them, so where were they? Right here. :)

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Emmett**

* * *

I blinked, mouth agape, staring at Elle in utter confusion and surprise as she announced her plan. I wanted to tell her that she was _crazy_, that she didn't know what she was talking about, that she wasn't thinking things through, but all I could manage was a simple, "Huh?"

She just looked so excited as the thoughts raced through her mind, and she nodded enthusiastically. "It makes _perfect_ sense! Warner needs to see that I'm more than just blonde hair and big boobs! He needs to see me for who I am inside!"

"So..." I blinked furiously, scrunching my forehead up as I pieced together what she was saying. "So... you're dying your hair... _brown_... so people will see past your... physical appearance?"

She nodded again, once. "Yes!"

Well, when she put it that way... it _did _make sense. As much as I despised the idea of her changing herself for the likes of _him_ I had to agree. It made, as she had said, _perfect_ sense.

She looked at me expectantly then. "Say, do you know any good hair salons? Preferably close-by?" I found myself staring at her in confusion again. Me? _Salons_? Salons scared me. We just didn't go hand-in-hand.

Elle seemed to notice my hesitation and waved the question away. "Oh, that's all right. I can find one." She flung her purse over her shoulder and started striding away very quickly for someone in heels. How do women _do_ that?

Elle hadn't gotten very far before she paused, glancing back over her shoulder at me. "Oh, and Emmett?"

I blinked, tilting my head to the side slightly as I waited for Elle to continue.

She offered me a tentative smile, different than her usual one yet I found I preferred this one much more. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke, "Thank you... for everything. You are by far the most helpful person I've ever met. I owe you big time. If you ever need anything--anything at all--don't hesitate to ask."

She quickly vanished around the corner after that and I let out a long, deep sigh. I stood there for another minute, not really thinking about anything, before I started to walk myself.

I wasn't sure where I was heading. I was walking aimlessly with what seemed like hundreds of jumbled thoughts piercing my mind. I just needed to _think_.

I wasn't surprised when I found myself in front of a small coffee shop called _Snickerdoodles_ that was tucked away in a small alley. It was one of my favourite places to go and think--not a lot of people knew about it, so it was peaceful. Without hesitating I pushed the door opened and quickly ordered my normal drink--hot chocolate. It was the closest I'd ever go to having coffee.

After offering a slight smile to the hostess, I made my way to a table in the corner of the room, half-heartedly sipping at my drink as I tried to gather my thoughts for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day.

I was beginning to get a headache.

"Hey." A voice broke through my thought barrier, and I glanced up, smiling at a familiar face.

"Noah."

Noah looked down at my with his trademark half-smirk, leaning with one arm against the wall. "Long time no see."

I nodded.

Noah was an old friend of mine--he went through the first two years of Harvard Law with me before he decided law wasn't really his thing. I felt inclined to agree with him when he told me the news.

Noah was more clean-cut than I was though at first glance he looked like a mobster from the early 50s with his slicked-back black hair and rough leather jacket. He was large, too, probably at least three times my size. And most of his weight was made of muscle.

A lot of people were scared of him because they never bothered to look past his physique. If they would just bother to look at his face they would see a sort of soft sincerity and kindness in it that put me at ease right away.

Plus he was a psychologist now. Definitely not a profession _most_ people feared.

Noah frowned at my lack of response. "Got somethin' on your mind, Emmy?" He patted my shoulder somewhat roughly. "Didn't I tell you all this thinkin' ain't good for ya? Should listen to me sometime. Your brain needs a break every now and then."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, "Sorry. I'll apologize to my brain for neglecting its needs later."

"You better." Noah nodded before his disappeared and his face turned serious. "But seriously. Emmett? What's on your mind? I haven't seen you this deep in thought since... God, I don't even _know_ when. What's the problem?"

"There's..." I hesitated for a moment before admitting, "There isn't a problem. I'm just confused."

"What?!" Noah feigned shock. "The great and awesome Emmett Forrest is _confused_!? Pinch me, someone, I _must_ be dreamin'!"

I rolled my eyes at his meager attempt to get me to relax, "You don't need your psychology tricks to get it out of me, Noah," I told him pointedly. He gave me an expectant look, and I sighed. "All right, all right. Well... the first day of Callahan's new class was today, and..." I paused, glancing quickly at my friend.

Noah blinked. "What?"

I gritted my teeth, brushing a hand through my hair, "You have to promise not to make a big deal out of it, or jump to conclusions and such." There was no point in telling him not to laugh; I knew he would.

"Fine, fine." He grinned now, obviously curious. "I promise. Now spill."

I swear, he was worse than a group of gossiping high school girls.

"Okay. One of the students in the class, she-"

Noah cut me off, "Whoa, wait. Student? _First year _student? Female?"

I groaned. "I told you not to jump to conclusions."

"Whoa, Emmett Forrest, you sly dog!" He clapped me on the shoulder again. "It's about time! What's her name?"

"_Noah_!" I cried out in exasperation. Maybe this had been a bad idea. "God, man, you have to stop jumping to conclusions! Can't you just _listen_, for once in your life?"

Noah blinked in surprise, and I didn't blame him. I didn't get angry easily, so for me to lose my cool... Noah rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. Old habits are hard to break. Go ahead."

"It's just..." I hesitated, trying to pick my words carefully. "I only met her today... but when I first saw her I knew she was special. She was certainly... different." I cracked a smile at the thought of her pink getup and her dog--his named was Bruiser, wasn't it? I shook my head, clearing my thoughts to continue. "I think it's how she carries herself. You just know that she can make a difference to the world. You know she's going to prove to the world that she's more than just the dumb blonde she appears to be, but--"

"Whoa, wait, she's a blonde?"

I glared at Noah before I continued, verbally ignoring his comment. "_But_, everyone is so absorbed in their stereotypes they don't even _try_ to look past the surface. They can't see into her soul--her potential. Only _I_ can see it, Noah. Even Callahan is blind to it."

"And he saw the potential in _you_, the ragged sci-fi geek and closet video game nerd." Noah whistled. "You know what this means, Emm?"

"... What?" I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

"It means..." Noah grabbed my hot chocolate out of my hands, taking a sip. "... that you can see things Callahan can't."

"Noah." I groaned. "That is not helping."

"Well, then, what do you _want_?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly at me.

"I want-" I paused. What _did_ I want? I wanted Elle to be the person I knew she was. I wanted to know why I cared so much about someone I had met within the last twelve hours. But most importantly... "I want people to see Elle Woods in the way I do."

Noah smiled a smile I couldn't quite place. "And how is that?"

"Uhh..." I hadn't thought about how I'd respond to a question like that, "well... I want them to see her beauty, inside _and_ out. I want them to see just how _wrong_ they are about her."

"Well, buddy." Noah pushed himself off of the wall, standing up straight. "You're a smart guy. You'll figure it out. Just wait for it."

"You know, Noah," I said, standing up to leave as well, "you can be really wise when you're not running your mouth."

"Well," he grinned as he pushed the door open, "that doesn't happen often, so feel blessed. See ya."

We headed down separate paths, and once again I was left alone with my thoughts. They didn't seem as nagging now, though. I smiled to myself.

"Well," I spoke to the air as I headed back to my apartment, "when you're down and out, Tetris never fails."

I had a feeling tomorrow was not going to come fast enough.


	8. Chapter Eight Pt1: Elle

**Author's Note**: First and foremost, I'm sorry for the wait!!! Though I can honestly say I could have taken longer I still feel bad. Especially with 16 reviews (wow!) for the last chapter. I think the MTV broadcasting made LB more popular, heh.

Second off, no, you're not mistaken. That does say Chapter Eight Part One. The second half is nearly twice as long as this one, and I like my chapters to flow smoothly from one end to another without breaks in multi-chapter fics.

And third off, to let you know I already have the second half of this chapter written out (not typed up) and part of Chapter Nine as well. Chapter Nine's Emmett, by the way.

Sorry for the exceedingly long and boring Author's Note, but I had a lot to cover. Now stop holding your breath and go onto chapter eight part one!

* * *

**Chapter Eight (Pt. 1): Elle**

* * *

I pressed my face against the wide glass window, peering through it curiously. The little hair and nails clinic has been well out of my way, but I was kind of glad I hadn't spotted a closer one. From what I could see, this place was nice and small. Cozy. I needed someplace to relax, or else I might someday get _serious_ wrinkle lines.

The Hair Affair.

Well, this place was better than some salons I had been to. I pushed my way through the double doors, instantly looking for a free spot. Almost instantly a woman waved me over to hers.

"Hi!" She greeted me with such enthusiasm that I almost jumped in surprise.

Almost. Instead, I smiled brightly at her as she continued on.

"Man, it's been slow _all_ day. I'm Paulette, and I'll by your 'guide' today." She chuckled lightly to herself. "You're in good hands here. I'm like... All State." she grinned at her joke. "Just for hair. Now tell me, honey, what can I do for you?"

I sat down, the image of Warner seeing me as more than just a girl with blonde hair flashing through my mind, and I smiled. "You can make me a brunette?"

Paulette recoiled from me, jumping back as if I had slapped her. "Brunette? _What_?! And change _this_, a genetic lotto win?! Oh, no. No, no, no, no, _no_." She quickly pulled up another chair for herself and plopped in front of me. "Back up, there's somethin' else at work here. Paulette is listenin'. Now spill."

I hesitated, but only for a second. I nodded, reaching over to shake her hand. "Okay. I'm Elle Woods." Paulette nodded at me, and then it all spilled out. I was just _so_ frustrated, and honestly I had been going crazy from keeping it all bottled up inside of me. That had been stupid.

Rule number five in_ Delta Nu Laws and Tips For Personal Health_: always be true to your feelings.

I told her everything: why I had come to Harvard, Callahan's class, Vivienne and Warner declaring their... I couldn't even think it, but it all rang through my head so _clearly_.

"You see, Paulette," I sniffed, "you see, I _have_ to dye my hair. It's the only way to get Warner to see me as more than a head full of blonde. He doesn't see who I am inside." Like Emmett does.

I blinked in surprise. Where had _that_ come from? Quickly, I shook my head to clear all the thoughts in my head as Paulette spoke again, "Whoa, whoa,_whoa_. Elle. Do you know what the number one reason for _all_ bad hair decisions is?"

"I..." I frowned, unsure of how to answer. Was I supposed to? Paulette sighed.

"Love," she answered simply. "It's always love."

She sounded somewhat wistful, and I titled my head curiously at her. She had a point. Love made people do crazy things. Was my idea really that crazy for me to do?

I frowned at her. "Well, then, if I'm not dying my hair, then how can I win him back?"

Paulette's wistful expression was once again replaced by her wacky grin and happy face, "From my experiences, you've got two choices. One:" she held up a finger, "you fight for him! With _action_, but nonviolent action. No main is worth getting physically--or emotionally for that matter--hurt for."

I nodded in agreement. "And the other?"

"The other..." Paulette trailed off, the wistful tone already back, "the other is what I did."

That had piqued my interest. Paulette was an interesting woman; I would have figured she would be able to hold down any guy she wanted if she truly loved him. "What did you do?"

"I..." Paulette hesitated slightly, thinking over her words before she started telling me her story. "I got over the guy I lived with for ten years."

"What?" I didn't even try to hide the astonishment in my voice, "Ten years? And you left him? Why?"

"No." Paulette shook her head. "He was the one who threw _me _out. Of my own trailer, no less. Ditched me for some... _slut_... named Kayla." she stuck her tongue out in genuine disgust. "_Ugly_ woman. Anyway, on top of that he did the unforgivable: he _took_ my baby... Rufus."

My eyes widened as she reached for a picture on her little stand. This man took her baby? I glanced hastily at the picture, and I almost sighed in relief. Rufus was her dog.

But that was almost as bad. I was incredulous. "He took your _dog_? Oh my God. How... how did you... how _could_ you deal with that?"

As if to answer my question, Paulette reached over and pressed the play button on a small CD player in her area and immediately the room was filled with some kind of music I did not recognize but instantly loved. It was strangely relaxing. It made my eyelids droop tiredly, but I was far from tired. I had drunk a Red Bull on the way over here, after all. "What is this?"

"It's called Celtic Moods," Paulette told me. "I love Ireland, especially its Celtic music. It always relaxes me and I turn to it when I need a helping hand to help me get through things."

I smiled. I really liked Paulette. She seemed to understand me, and that was a gift I hadn't been receiving much of lately.

Emmett had been the first. Paulette had been the second. True, I met them both today but most of the other people I had met throughout my life gave me one glance (or maybe a few more if they were male) and walked past. Would I ever find another person who could see _me_?

I wasn't sure.

But what I really had to focus on was finding a way to win Warner back. I asked Paulette for suggestions.

"Okay, Elle." Paulette gave me a firm glance. "First and foremost: are you _sure_ he's the one for you?"

"Please. I missed Greek Week to study to even get _into_ Harvard, Paulette. I'm positive."

And then the door opened, and I heard an unfortunately familiar voice drift in.

"... bring the lobster corndogs."

"Perfect. I have a keg of white wine. Now _that's_ a party."

I frowned at that, Vivienne and her friend--whose name I couldn't remember for the life of me--were actually throwing a party? I couldn't believe it.

"No way," I said aloud, "someone in this town is actually throwing a party?"

"Ah, yes," Vivienne turned around to look at me, and I was surprised to see an actual smile on her face. Maybe she was human.

Then she noticed who I was and it promptly disappeared. So much for that.

"Of course, it's a costume party," Vivienne hastily added. "You probably wouldn't be very interested."

I answered honestly, "I _love_ costume parties."

"Oh, well..." She and her friend exchanged glances, "... you should definitely come then. It's next Friday."

She wrote down the address and handed it to me before the two left. As soon as they were out the door Paulette turned to me. "Hey, Elle, do you think that guy you like will be there?"

I thought about that. Vivienne would be there. It was a party. And there was alcohol involved. I nodded. "He will be."

"Then." she grinned from ear to ear as she scampered over to another door and flung it open, rummaging through the content. "You're borrowing my secret weapon costume. It's been in storage for _years_, it deserves a night out. Now, I'm gonna get it cleaned up for you and you'll be comin' back here to get your hair and makeup and nails done, and you'll be the hottest bunny in the entire par-"

I smiled as Paulette rambled excitedly on. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.


	9. Chapter Eight Pt2: Elle

**Author's Note**: And here's Chapter Eight Part Two! Told you it would come faster. :D. Oh, this chapter skips ahead about a week. Also very little Emmett, but I promise when Chip come 'round there'll be more than enough Emmett for me and all of my reviewers to share.

* * *

**Chapter Eight (Pt. 2): Elle**

* * *

The following week flew by scarily quickly, and was fairly uneventful. There _was_ that one instance the day after my trip to the Hair Affair when I walked into class and Emmett gave me the most relieved glance and smile that I'd ever seen.

"What happened?" he had asked, and I had just smiled and winked.

"It's a secret."

He had shrugged and left it at that, if only because Professor Callahan had just walked into the class as well.

But that was it. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, that was the last chance I had had to speak to him in the entire week. I admit, I felt a bit lonely and out-of-place in Harvard. I had never felt lonely before. People had been bestowing gifts and compliments on me since before I could even say 'thank you' and this sudden indifference most people gave me was a sudden change for me.

But for Warner... I was willing to deal with it.

Still, as I pushed my way back into the Hair Affair the day of the party to pick up my costume I couldn't help but smile as Paulette greeted me with an enthusiasm that would have been appropriate if she had just encountered a long-lost sister.

Within the week I had known her, a sisterhood had developed between us. There was no denying that. And Sisterhood was forever.

"Oh, Elle!" Paulette gushed, "This is so excitin'! We gotta do your hair, and your nails!" Paulette pulled me into an affectionate hug. "My treat! You ready?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "No Delta Nu would ever say no to a makeover."

"Well, then, let's get this party started!"

Paulette and I chatted animatedly as she worked on my hair and nails, and I found myself liking her more and more the longer we spoke. I almost felt as if I were back at UCLA with my Delta Nu sisters. I hadn't realized how much I missed the companionship of a good female friend before I had met Paulette. I felt so... at ease.

"I'll tell you, Paulette, on Tuesday this guy, Emmett, looked really relived when he saw my hair was still blonde." I grinned. "I think he didn't like the idea in the first place."

"Genetic lotto win," Paulette mumbled off-handedly, biting her lip in concentration as she finished off my hair, "All right! Looking good! Not that you don't do that naturally."

I glanced in the mirror, reviewing my friends work, and I nodded in agreement. "Like a professional."

"Well, thanks!" Paulette smiled fondly at me, and I knew she had taken that comment to heart. I knew she had been kicked out of college in her second year for her new ideas; I wasn't sure _why_, though. I guess some people just couldn't appreciate new ways at looking at things.

Paulette giggled a little, drawing my attention back to her. "Oh, Elle! This Warner guy would have to be either crazy or stupid to turn you down! Especially when we add in the costume... ohhh!" She squealed, and I felt a little pinprick of excitement poke my stomach.

"Is it ready?" I had been looking forward to this party all week, and the Playboy Bunny outfit was without a doubt the perfect outfit for me to wear. And I _knew_ Warner would love it.

"Been ready for two days, hon," Paulette told me as she bounced her way over to the storage closet and pulled the costume out. She shook it slightly, getting rid of the very thin layer of dust that had settled over the two days, and handed it to me. "Go for it, Elle. Bring that man back to the present. If a girl like you can't hold onto a guy she loves, there's no hope for me or anyone else."

I shook my head. "That's not true." And it wasn't. Every woman had a fighting chance, for _any_ man. At all. Paulette pulled me into a spine-crushing embrace that I returned full-heartedly. She quickly released me, patting me on the shoulder.

"Go get 'im, Elle."

"I will!" I promised, and I meant it. I was _going_ to win Warner back tonight. With a determined nod, I quickly changed in the bathroom and before I knew it I was standing in front of the house with the address Vivienne had given me. It wasn't until then that the little ball of excitement melted into anxiety. I hopped slightly from one foot to another.

"Okay," I muttered, "this is it. Just go in there, Elle--confidence. You are beautiful. You are blonde. And, most importantly, you are _serious_." I nodded. "Seriously serious."

Well, it was now or never.

No, scratch that. It was definitely now. Not never. _Now_.

With a deep breath, I pushed the door open, the confident smile on my face reaching my voice. "Hi, everyo--" I froze in mid-sentence as the door shut quietly behind me and I found nearly every pair of eyes in the room placed on me. That's when I noticed their normal, regular, non-Halloweeny clothes that made me suddenly feel very, very,_ unusually_ self-conscious in Paulette's secret weapon costume.

Sure, it was the right house--I recognized most of the people there from my classes. But none of them were in costumes, unless I was truly the stereotypical blonde everyone thought and I just couldn't see it.

I can't believe I hadn't seen this coming. I should have known that Vivienne would set me up. I should have known. I should have... I growled slightly in embarrassed frustration and was about to turn and leave when I noticed the only person I had come to this party for out of the corner of my eye.

Warner. There he was, less than twenty feet away. He hadn't noticed me yet (though how that was possible I had no idea; I was kinda hard to miss). Part of me didn't want him too--not in this costume--but it seemed the other half of me wanting him to notice me again outweighed the first. This was my chance. I had to go for it.

I fidgeted quickly with the bunny ears on my head to make sure they were straight.

Okay. Now.

Without giving myself anytime to start to doubt, I sauntered my way towards Warner, immediately making my presence known.

"Hello stranger."

Warner glanced up for a second before turning his attention immediately back to his drink, and I had to keep myself from laughing in amusement. Had he _actually_ missed my costume? I was almost convinced he had when he suddenly hacked in his drink and glanced wildly at me again.

"_Elle_?!" I smiled. "Whoa, Elle. You're... you're here. And you're wearing... _why_ are you wearing that?"

"What?" I questioned him innocently. No way was I going to tell him Vivienne had set me up. "Can't a girl shake things up every once in a while?"

"Well, yeah." Warner grinned unsteadily. I had him off balance. "... but, why couldn't you have worn that when we were _dating_?"

Or not. I faltered slightly but quickly regained my footing. "Well, I guess you just never asked."

"Which now brings me the greatest regret of my life." Warner sighed dramatically. Did he think this was a joke too? Warner chuckled slightly to himself, waving his hand slightly as he sat on the table. "I still can't get over the fact that you're here... at Harvard. Back at UCLA... I never woulda guessed it." Warner was staring into space. "I kind of miss those days... those parties... We were on top of the world."

This was my chance, the perfect opening to throw my two cents in.

"It's not too late." I had to keep myself from shouting it out. Warner blinked drearily at me.

"Huh?"

"You've got your future all planned... right?" I looked at him earnestly, and he nodded slowly as if he didn't understand.

"... Right. You know that."

I nodded, inwardly frowning as I tried to figure out how to phrase what I was trying to say.

"What if..." Warner titled his head slightly as he waited for me to continue, reminding me oddly of a dog waiting for a bone. "What if... I'm standing there too?"

"Standing where?" Warner frowned at me.

"In you _future_," I elaborated, and when Warner opened his mouth to speak again I cut him off, "No." I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Okay. Look. You know I'm beautiful, but no matter how hard it is to believe under all this blonde is a smart, serious per-"

Warner barked out a laugh. "_Serious_?! Yeah, _right_. You _look_ real serious."

I felt the walls of confidence I had built up crumbled down around me. What?

"Warner," I willed myself to keep my voice steady, "don't forget I got into the same school as you." I brightened at that. Maybe that would convince him. "And now we'll both be studying law together, and maybe we'll both get Callahan's internship... and _work_ together."

"Elle." Warner shook his head at me, standing up and placing a chaste hand on my shoulder. "Elle, Elle, Elle. You get kicked out of class, like,_ every_ day. You can't _actually_ believe you have a chance at getting it, do you?"

"Well..." I felt my heart breaking at his implications, "of course."

"Elle," he shook his head again, "_everybody_ in the class wants that internship--nobody more than me! It's a guaranteed career! You practically make partner _before_ you get a job offer! You--"

"Elle." I flinched as Vivienne's voice cut Warner's off, and I defiantly raised my eyes to meet hers. "You're looking fluffy... as usual."

"Oh," I scoffed in what I knew was a fake cheery voice. "Hello, Vivienne. Thanks for the _great_ tip on the costume party. I see you came as last year's sample sale!"

Warner stepped between us before Vivienne could say anything back, shaking his head and turning his attention back towards me. "Look, Pooh Bea- _Elle_." I smirked at his slip up. "You have to _ace_ Callahan's course to get that internship, and he's not called "C-minus Callahan" for nothing."

I growled lowly. Why couldn't he understand? "Warner, I am _completely_ competent on both of those facts, so-"

"You're not going to make it through the _semester_, let alone get Callahan's internship!" Vivienne snapped suddenly, and I could see her eyes glowing with fury. "Even if you keep _going_, and _going_, and _going_."

I felt myself falter a little, not because she had hurt me but because no matter how hard I tried I just could _not_ understand her. She baffled me.

"I don't get it, Vivienne. I don't get you," I told her. "Girls are supposed to_ stick together_. To be there for each other."

She smirked that evil little smirk of hers as she sauntered closer to me. "Face it, Bunny, one of these things is not like the other. Someday _we'll_ nominate Supreme Court Justices, and you'll... _tan_." Her gaze darkened even more. "Run home, Elle, and change out of that_ skank_ costume."

That was it. Warner still didn't see me. I had been made a fool and embarrassed in front of all these people. Vivienne had _duped_ me. I was _out_ of here. But not before I fought back, just a little. My voice was low, "Oh, is _that_ what you see, Vivienne?"

I whirled around and almost immediately my eyes landed on Enid. I marched over to her, snatched her glasses right out of her hands and placed them on my face. I spun back to face Vivienne and I could hear the anger and hurt and humiliation as I spoke.

"How _unfortunate_. Because I'm _Gloria Steinem_. I served in 1963 researching for my Feminist Manifesto." I glowered at her before stating matter-of-factly, "_I_ was a Playboy Bunny." I felt the entire room's eyes trained on me before I uttered the deciding line, "Are you actually calling Gloria Steinem a _skank_?"

"_Who's_ calling Gloria Steinem a skank?!" Enid bellowed angrily from behind me, and as I ripped the glasses off my face to hand them to her I pointed at Vivienne.

"She is!"

And then I turned around and left, the resolve and self-control I had fading fast as I tried to keep the threatening tears form falling.

At least I could find a little comfort from the barrage of angry voices echoing down the street from the party.


	10. Chapter Nine: Emmett

**Author's Note**: Whelp, here's the next chapter! Finally, we get to Chip! You know what that means? Creative splurge!!! The 7-month gap covered in 8 minutes is enough to help me seriously build the relationship up from acquaintances to tutor and student to best friends and to finally two people in love. I am so excited. :D So remember, Chip will not be covered in one or two chapters; it will take up most of the story.

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**Chapter Nine: Emmett**

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I shivered involuntarily as the chilled October wind picked up suddenly, hugging my sweatshirt closer to my body. I hate the cold. _Why_ was it cold? It wasn't even _winter_ yet, for God's sake! Where was that global warming that was on the news every other day?

I paused in my thoughts as I saw a young kid run past me in what looked like a Spiderman costume, his mother streaking after him. I blinked.

Was it Halloween already? I frowned, going through the dates in my head. October 31st. How had I missed that? I suppose I was just out later than normal; not many people were out on the streets at all. The kid and his mom were the only forms of life other than me that I had seen all night.

Of course, I had only left Callahan's law firm barely five minutes earlier, so...

I glanced idly at the bus stop as I passed it, coming to a startled halt as I noticed someone sitting forlornly on the bench in nothing but a Playboy bunny suit. My lip quirked a little in a smile as I saw her blonde hair. She kind of reminded me of someone...

Wait a minute. I frowned, twisting my head to the side to get a better look at her face in the dark, and with a start I realized why she looked so familiar.

It was Elle. _Elle_ in a _Playboy bunny_ suit.

Elle with dried tear lines on her face, I noticed after a second glance.

"Whoa." I brought myself to her side, trying to get a better look at her expression. "Elle? What's up?" Her lack of response worried me more than I thought possible, and I feebly added, "...Doc?"

Well, that had worked. Sorta. Elle craned her head slowly towards me, but she didn't look like she was actually looking _at_ me. She was looking _through_ me. Where _was_ her mind?

Another gust of wind whipped past then, but Elle didn't even seem to notice it. I knelt beside her, hesitantly reaching out to touch her shoulder and I nearly jumped as I felt the icy chill radiating from it. "Elle? How long have you been _out_ here? I feel like I'm touching an ice cube."

What was wrong with her? This was not the overly pink girl carrying her pet Chihuahua I had met at the beginning of the year.

"Love."

I paused in my thoughts for a second in confusion before I realized the word had come from Elle's mouth. My jaw slackened for a second before I pulled it shut again to speak. "Uh, excuse me?" That was not what I had been expecting.

"I put my faith in love," she elaborated sullenly. "I followed where it led."

Now she was speaking in poetical riddles, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what she meant. "Love..." I hesitated, "led you to a bench at a bus station that's been dead for over two years?"

Elle laughed once, hollowly, "Two years? No wonder I've been sitting here for so long."

"Elle," I spoke slowly, rubbing the side of my head slightly. Trying to figure her out was like trying to figure out the meaning of life. "Elle, why are you out here?"

Elle sniffed, "I told you. Love. I followed it. I followed him. _He_ dumped _me_ because I was a Marilyn not a Jackie, and I missed Greek week just so I could study for those _stupid_ LSATS and... and... I even brought UCLA's drill team and cheer squad to the admissions, for God's sake! And look where all that's gotten me--I'm sitting on a bench on the edge of an abandoned street, flunking out of school as Harvard's _laughing stock_." She stomped her foot, her face finally growing contorted with emotion, "It's just so _frustrating_! God, I wish I could just be put out of my misery!"

I stared at Elle in shock as she ranted, trying to make any sense of her words. I went over them again and again in my mind before it finally clicked. Oh,_ hell_ no.

"Whoa. Back up a minute here," I told her, "the only reason you transferred to Harvard was because of _Warner_?"

Elle blinked, staring at me in confusion. "Well, yeah."

I shook my head, standing up. I knew they had dated, and I knew she still had feelings for him (really, that wasn't hard to miss at all), but to think she had come here _only_ to try and win him back... She had transferred to Harvard on a whim, while I...

I shook my head in exasperation, trying to clear my thoughts. "Elle, life shouldn't be decided like that. _God_. What kind of rich, romantic planet are you from anyway?"

I had to admit, that was kind of harsh, but I had worked nearly all my life to get into Harvard and she... I blinked roughly, squeezing my eyes shut for a few seconds before I opened them again.

Elle sniffed again, her face unsure as she responded to what I had meant to be a rhetorical question. "Malibu?"

I inwardly groaned. "So, instead of staying at home – where you were _comfortable_ with yourself – you stalked some guy all the way across the country?" I had heard many stories of why people had gone out for law, but this had to be the most bizarre one yet. It even topped Sundeep Padamadan's, and I didn't think that would _ever_ happen. "Man, that has gotta be the weirdest reason I have ever hear--"

"Well, why'd _you_ come?" Elle snapped out, and just like that my mind froze.

My first year at Harvard hadn't been an easy one. I was the short, scrawny video game geek who still had braces in his early twenties. Not exactly appealing in the minds of most people. Adding the fact that my father had left when I was seven hadn't seemed like the best idea then.

I guess I was still a bit anxious that if I told someone about my past they wouldn't look at me in the same way anymore. It was an odd fear, but it was mine. I just wanted to be that average lawyer. A normal, unextraordinary (yet still successful) guy.

Then again, the more I thought about it the more I realized Elle was anything but ordinary. What the hell.

"Okay," I told her, shrugging my sweatshirt off to give to her as I moved to sit next to her. She immediately clutched it about herself as if she had just noticed it was cold outside. I sighed, running my hand through hair before I began speaking.

"I... I grew up with my mom," I told her. "My dad walked out on us when I was young because he met another woman. He just _left_ us, left _my mom_ to fend for herself and to take care of me by herself. I felt so utterly helpless, especially as a kid..." I smiled blandly. "I've never forgiven my father for that." And I probably never would.

Shaking my head, I cleared the thought out of my mind and turned myself back to the present. "Anyway, I wanted to get a job that I could use to support myself. I didn't want to bother my mom by having her worry about my financial situation, and there was no way in _hell_ I'd ever turn to the father that abandoned us." I leaned back slightly, going over the thoughts in my mind.

"Shortly after I turned eight this really great lawyer got both my mom and I the federal monetary aid we needed to get back on our feet." I smiled lightly, glancing at her sideways. "You might recognize him as Professor Dean Callahan."

"You mean--" Elle gaped in surprise, not even bothering to finish her statement, and I nodded.

"Yep. Callahan saved my mom's butt back then. I owe him a lot," I conceded. "Since then I've worked my ass off for even a chance to get into Harvard, and when I _finally_ got accepted I _still_ had to work two jobs inaddition to the scholarships I received in order to pay for it all myself."

Elle's eyes were downcast, whether out of shame or pity I couldn't tell, as she spoke. "Wow, Emmett... I don't even know what it's like to... It must have been rough."

"It was," I told her bluntly, "so excuse me for not weeping at your..." I flicked one of her rabbit ears before motioning to the ball of fluff she was sitting on, "_tail_."

Elle rolled her eyes at me, and I had to keep myself from grinning childishly in return at her.

"Well, excuse _me_," Elle grumbled, "if you've got some kind of chip on your shoulder."

I blinked. I had never looked at it that way before. A chip on my shoulder... the more I thought about, the more sense it made.

"You know what?" I said, "You're right. There is a chip on my shoulder, and a pretty big one at that. You might even want to upgrade the term 'chip' to 'boulder.' It might be more accurate."

"A boulder?" Elle cracked the first smile I had seen from her all night.

Finally. A breakthrough.

"Yeah," I told her. "I'm driven as _hell_ to actually get somewhere in this field. I really want to just... win a huge case, and buy that house down the Cape my mom's always been eyeing but could never afford..." I trailed off in reminiscence.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Elle gushed at me as I looked at my watch and stood up. I turned to her and smiled lightly.

"No, that's the chip on my shoulder. The need to do _something_ for my mom after she's done so much for me. Even if I can't take the day off, I know it will be worth it in the end." I looked her straight in the eye. "You need a chip on _your_ shoulder, little Miss Woods, comma Elle."

"That sounds highly negative," Elle flat-out told me, and I shrugged as I hefted my bag further up on my shoulder.

"Hey, I'm just being honest. When you aren't born into privilege you have to work twice as hard. Cold hard facts of life." I shuddered as the wind picked up again. "Oh, and speaking of cold," I motioned to the sweatshirt she had hugged around her, "I expect that sweatshirt back within the week. Preferably sooner rather than later."

Elle nodded absentmindedly. "Right."

I took that as my cue to leave and spun on my heels, trudging down the still deserted street with my hands shoved into my pockets in an attempt to keep them warm.

"_Wait_!"

I stopped in mid-stride as Elle's voice halted me after barely twenty feet, and I turned around to glance at her curiously. "What?"

"_Two_ jobs," she repeated, "_plus_ law school?" She was glancing at me in genuine curiosity and awe.

I shrugged, making my way back over to her and saying with as straight a face I could muster, "I haven't slept since the early '90s."

Elle laughed, an actual laugh, as she shook her head. "Seriously – _how_ do you do it?"

"I just make good use of my time," I told her. "It's not that hard. I study instead of exercising and doing my hair for hours on end."

"I don't spend _hours_," Elle protested, and I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, _maybe_ I'm exaggerating, but you get my point, right?" I knew she did as I glanced at her face; it was written all over it.

"I just need to prove to everyone that I'm _serious_," she mumbled quietly, and I shook my head.

"And just how are you going to do that when you're running around Boston in a Playboy Bunny suit?" I questioned her lightly, and her head shot back up to glare at me, though I could see a glint of humor in her eyes.

"Okay, so maybe the bunny suit _was_ a bad idea," she admitted, but she quickly added, "but clearly I was misinformed! Vivienne told me it was a costume party!"

"And you _trusted_ her?" I raised my eyebrows in confusion. I would have thought that Elle wouldn't trust a word Vivienne said after that one day she told Callahan to throw her out.

"Ha, yeah," Elle shook her head slightly. "Stupid of me, huh?"

"Not stupid," I told her earnestly. "Just somewhat naïve." She grumbled lowly for a few seconds, and I sighed. "Look, Elle, if you want to win... _Warner..._ back, maybe I can help."

Elle raised her head at my suddenly. "Really? You mean it?"

_God_, did I just _say_ that? What was wrong with me? That jerk didn't deserve her at all. But... I took in her earnest face, and I sighed out, "Yeah. I mean it." Another gust picked up, and I quickly added, "Let's just get you back to your dorm room."

"Oh!" Her face brightened considerably at that as she jumped up and down for a split second, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She beamed at me, grabbing my hand and started dragging me along, and I stumbled along behind her awkwardly.

"Come on, hurry up!" she nearly shouted, "If you've got a plan then we've got no time to lose! To my dorm room!"

Oh God. _What_ had I gotten myself into?


	11. Chapter Ten: Elle

**Author's Note**: Sorry this took so long to get out! I apologize.

Please enjoy, and as always, reviews are loved!

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**Chapter Ten: Elle**

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"Well, make yourself at home." I nodded emphatically as I set Emmett's sweatshirt on the edge of my bed, watching out of the corner of my eye as he glanced dazedly around my dorm room, and I titled my head slightly to look at him. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Emmett blinked out of his daze and glanced at me. "Oh, uh, yeah. I am. Thanks."

"All right." I smiled widely at him as I bounced towards the open entry that connected to my closet. "Just make yourself _at home_," I repeated, more emphatically. "I'll be right back."

As I slipped through the curtain that cut off the closet from the rest of my room, I heard Emmett mutter under his breath in a sort of stale humor, "Hello... _Kitty_."

I guess I really couldn't blame him. My room probably had more pink than he had ever seen in all his twenty-odd years of life combined.

Probably. It hit me then that I knew next-to-nothing about Emmett. I knew his name, his job, and bits and pieces of his childhood, but... I didn't even know how _old_ he was.

And yet I trusted him. I _trusted_ him. The fact that he had helped me despite how out-of-place I was at Harvard had made me automatically trust him, without judgments. Or anything at all, for that matter.

"You drink a lot of Red Bull, don't you?" Emmett called out suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts and I realized I still had to change out of this _ridiculous_ (though it was insanely adorable) suit.

I quickly reached behind my back and pulled on the zipper. "It tastes good." I told him, "And it gives me energy!"

I heard him laugh lightly at that as I dug around my room for clothes to wear, opting for a simple pair of jeans and a regular pink top.

"Energy for when you're studying?"

I paused with one leg fit snuggly in the jeans and the other barely lifted off the floor, frowning, "What?"

"I said 'studying,'" Emmett repeated louder, as if I hadn't heard him the first time. I had. I knew he knew I had. I opted to keep my mouth shut in hopes that maybe he'd let the subject drop. "... You do study, don't you?" Apparently he wouldn't. His voice sounded slightly exasperated as he asked, "Where are your law books?"

Maybe I could play dumb. Everyone seemed to think I was anyway. "Pardon?"

"I said _law books_," Emmett repeated again, sounding both amused and annoyed at once. I knew there was no getting out of this.

"Oh! Right. Those." I searched my mind as I pulled my arms through my shirt. "Uh, they're under the..." I flattened down my clothes quickly, assuring myself there were no wrinkles as I tried to remember. I heard a little bit of rummaging beyond the curtain.

"Under the...?" Emmett pressed, and I shook my head, grabbing a nearby brush and running it through my hair.

"Under the pile of..." I flipped my hair a little, fluffing it out.

"The pile of...?"

I glanced in the mirror quickly, satisfied with my appearance, before I rushed out of the room and quickly snatching one of my pink boas from its place on my desk, motioning to the pages beneath. "There!"

Emmett glanced at the desk, then at me, before he picked up what I had thought had been my school book and held it out for me to see. I stared at him for a second, not understanding, before I caught the title and picture on the front. _Vanity_.

Oops.

_I've worked my entire life for this_. The words Emmett had hinted at earlier flashed through my mind, and I felt a little bit of guilt at how this must look. "Well..." I protested feebly, "they're around here somewhere."

Emmett just stared at me for a second, his expression unreadable, before he let out a small sigh and subtly shook his head as if debating with himself.

"What?" I questioned him, and slowly he opened the magazine, flipping through the pages swiftly before closing it again, and I repeated my question, "_What_?"

"This _Vanity_'s real picturesque," Emmett said slowly, and I smiled. This was in my element.

"I know right?" I nodded enthusiastically. "They have some great things in there!" I smiled to myself. "Beautiful clothes, beautiful people, grea-"

I cut myself off as Emmett dropped the magazine in the trash can, suddenly finding myself gawking at him as he began picking through my desk.

'This is really pretty, too," he noted off-handedly, taking a little picture frame with the default picture still in it off my desk, studying it for a second, before it quickly joined _Vanity_.

'What are you doing?!" I stared at him in shock as he began moving more quickly.

'All this stuff is just taking up space," Emmett told me. "You don't need this, or this, or... what is_ that_?"

He held up my diffuser and considered it for a second, and I quickly made a swipe at it.

'It's for hair!" I protested as Emmett quickly threw it into the trash can, giving me a stern but humored glance.

"You can wear a hat."

"Hats," I growled, snatching my trashcan up and digging through it, "get tacky after a while!"

"You don't need all of this stuff," Emmett told me, his face glancing at me with an earnest expression. "They're just distracting you."

"Distracting?!" I cried incredulously, glaring at him as I grabbed a can of hairspray and lifted it out.

"Yes," Emmett shot back, not sounding angry but more... determined, "distracting. Do you even _use_ this stuff?"

I glowered at him, and he simply put a small smile on his face. That only infuriated me more. Why wasn't he _apologizing_?

With a grunting yell, I slammed the trash can down on my desk. "Auugh!"

"_Oooh_," Emmett shivered slightly, and some of my anger was immediately overridden with confusion. "Did you feel that?"

"What?" I shook my head, scrunching my face in confusion. "Feel what?"

"I think the room just dropped about ten degrees," he told me, his face straight. I cracked a smile as I realized what he was doing.

"Hey." I fished through the trashcan again, picking out my diffuser. "You're not getting off the hook that easily." I set the hair device down on the table gently, moving to another corner of the room and scrounging through my stuff in search of my textbook. It surprised me how much stuff I had strewn about the room that I didn't even know I owned. Where had it all _come_ from? Maybe Emmett had a point.

"If you keep searching, you'll find it," Emmett urged, and I hated to admit it but he was right. I wondered how I had ever found anything in my room if I had so much trouble finding a simple--

"Aha!" I cried triumphantly, cutting off any thought I had. "Found it!" Emmett jumped up from his corner of the search and cleared the distance to me in three long strides as I waved the book victoriously in front of his face. "See?"

His eyes followed it for a few seconds before he finally frowned and snatched it out of my hands. He sighed, ripping the plastic cover off and tossing it into the trash can. "Been reading it hard, I can tell," he said nonchalantly, before shaking his head. "Have you even _thought_ about opening it?"

"Yes!" I protested automatically on reflex, feeling somewhat indignant he'd even suggest that. When I saw his doubtful gaze, though, I sighed in defeat. "No." I shook my head slightly, trying to figure out how I could justify this to him. "Look, I was a _fashion merchandising_ major, okay?"

"Well, now," Emmett shoved the book within a centimeter of my chest, "you're in law school."

I batted his arms away. "I know that!" I cried softly, but I knew I had already lost the battle.

"Oh yeah?" Emmett once again held out the book for me, a challenging smirk appearing suddenly on his face. "If that's true, then prove it. Show everyone just how serious you are." I blinked, furrowing my eyebrows in though, and he added to clarify his point, "Study. Try. It's not hard to try. I can help, you know. I am a graduate student."

"I--" I glanced hesitantly at the book and Emmett and back again, nibbling gently on my lower lip out of habit. Could this actually work? Would studying finally make Warner see me?

With a jolt, I realized just how stupid I must have been sounding. I came here to prove to Warner I was serious, and I wasn't even trying to learn the ways of the lawyer. I was just acting the same exact way as I always had.

Boy, no wonder everyone viewed me as a stereotypical blonde. I certainly hadn't gone out of my way to prove them wrong.

With a huff, I snatched the book out of Emmett's hands. "Give me that."

I flopped down on my bed, flipping the book over to the first page. My eyes scanned over the text briefly, and I felt myself pale.

Oh God. What had I gotten myself into?


	12. Chapter Eleven: Emmett

**Author's Note**: First off, I am so sorry! I know I can't use "I've been busy" as an excuse since I've been writing things for Avatar like there's no tomorrow, but I have been busy at the same time and – and – those were all drabbles (for the most part) or contest entries anyway! Please don't be angry! In my first mod for this last quarter of high school I'm a writing assistant for a low-level English class, but I'm not always helping. So, I'll definitely have time to write some good ol' fashioned fanfiction, and FOWTL will definitely be the one I pay the most attention to (I need to watch the play again…)

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**Chapter Eleven: Emmett**

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"No, no! Emmett!" Elle's voice shrieked in my ear as she reached for the papers in my hands. "Not that!" I jumped, quickly placing the sheets back on her desk. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, before I turned around to face her.

"Elle." I shook my head. "Elle, I understand this stuff is important to you, but you gotta give me a little leeway here. I'm trying to help--really, I am--and you know you don't need all this stuff."

"I know that," Elle scoffed, protesting, "but you almost threw away the information for a friend's wedding. I kind of _do_ need that."

I paused, blinking as I picked up the papers off her desk again and giving them a quick glance over. I felt my face heat up with a blush as I realized she was right. Man, that had almost been a jerkish move. I wonder if Warner ever actually--

I cleared my throat and my mind, placing the papers back down. "… Maybe I should check with you first before throwing anything out."

Elle brightened at that, "I like that ide--"

"But," I cut her off slightly, picking up one of the multitude of pink stress balls strewn about her room and tossing it towards the cardboard box I had brought from my own apartment, "only if it's within reason."

As the ball landed with a soft '_thump_' Elle pouted. "Two points." She moved around the room almost sullenly, picking up the occasional object and placing it in the box. "You and your addendums."

I raised a surprised eyebrow as I picked through the objects she had 'overlooked.' "Good word."

"Thanks." Elle smiled lightly and my mind flashed back to what couldn't have been more than two weeks ago, the last time she had given me such a modest smile. Maybe… just maybe--

"Can I keep this, Emmett?"

I blinked, shaking away whatever thought I had had to raise my gaze to her and the item in her hands. Its tongue lolled out as the tail wagged happily and her dog--Bruiser?--yipped in greeting.

"Elle," I stared, dumbfounded, "that's your dog." I couldn't believe she would even think of--and then I noticed the growing grin of amusement on her face and I laughed, partly in relief that it had been a joke and partly in genuine amusement. I shook my head lightly. "Yes, Elle, you can keep your dog."

"Good."

Elle nodded emphatically as she placed Bruiser back on the floor. The chihuahua barked excitedly, scrambling over the floor in a tornado of fur. He circled around my legs a few times, pausing to sniff at my feet before he trotted back over to Elle.

I smiled at the Bruiser before I turned my attention back to the room.

"He's friendly," I noted offhandedly as I tossed a five-month-old magazine into the recycling box. Bruiser yipped, almost as if he had heard and understood me, and Elle nodded proudly.

"He's smart, too," Elle beamed, dropping the CD in her hand back in its place, turning to face her dog. "Watch this. Bruiser!"

I paused for a second, watching in curious amusement as the dog's ear's perked up and his large chocolate brown eyes landed on Elle. He cocked his head to the side, waiting. Elle simply grinned as she snapped her fingers.

"Bruiser, nail polish!"

My eyes widened in surprise as Bruiser scampered off with barely a second of hesitation. He raced through the room excitedly before jumping and climbing up onto what I assumed was Elle's cosmetic. He shoved his nose in through the various items before--much to my surprise, I'll admit--he lifted his head back up and leapt off the desk and scrambled back to Elle's feet, the obvious shape of a nail polish bottle poking out of his mouth.

"You trained him to do that?" I smiled slightly, surprised. "Impressive."

Elle's modest grin was back again as she plucked the bottle out of Bruiser's mouth as she picked him up. "It's... more Bruiser, really." She paused, scratching her dog between the ears before setting him back down, "But thanks."

I smiled back slightly, opening my mouth to respond when--and I swear, it came out of nowhere--the sound of pop music burst into the room. I jumped in surprise, nearly tripping over my own feet.

_Honey, what'cha crying at?_

_You're not losin' him to that_

_Both her hair and -_

Elle pulled out her cellphone quickly, sending me an apologetic glance as she flipped it open and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

An excited, incomprehensible (at least, I couldn't understand what they were saying) babble erupted from the other end of the phone, and I found myself jumping in surprise again as Elle responded with her own squeal of excitement. I took a small step backwards, my eyes widening slightly in a mixture of amusement and surprise.

"Omigod--I can't believe it! Serena--no, I'm okay. No, nothing's happened--no--yes? No, Pilar--Margot--what? Oh, yeah, I got the information..." Elle's eyebrows furrowed in thought before her eyebrows show up, "Of course I'll be there, how could I miss it? It's such an honor." A grin spread over her face. "I love you guys, too. Talk to you soon. Bye."

Just as quickly as it had begun the cellphone had snapped shut again and was back in her purse. She turned back to me, her ecstatic grin still on her face. "So, what were we saying?"

I threw a weak half-smile back towards her, once again wondering why in the world I had thrown myself into this situation. I took a deep breath, lifting my laptop onto Elle's newly cleared desk. "Okay. Let's get started."

As Elle's grin immediately fell from her face, I couldn't help but laugh.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Elle

I'm being bribed to continue this! ... But I really do feel awful that I've neglected this fandom completely these past, like, nine months or something. It's really bad since I absolutely love, love, love it--especially Emmett and Elle. No amount of Avatar or Heroes or High School Musical or Dr. Horrible should change that (and, boy, was that showing the bipolarity of my fandoms). Forgive me? :}

But yeah, the wonderful authoress Awahili has convinced me to try to find my muse for this fic again with promise of fics of her own, and I know for a fact that she is an amazing author and will do great things in this fandom. :D So keep an eye out for her stuff (and read her HSM fics if you're a fan!).

One last thing--I started writing this fic before I thought of actually proofreading my stuff, so... you know, there are probably bucketloads of typos and such in the previous chapters so I'm probably going to be searching those out and fixing them. -cough-

Anyway, yes. Here I am. Finally. Now onto the actual fic.

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**Chapter Twelve: Elle**

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_Monday, November 5th, 11:43 AM_

I bit my lip hard as Professor Callahan droned on and on about some law thing I _really_ did not care about. I glanced impatiently at the clock as my fingers drummed absentmindedly on the edge of the laptop Emmett and I had bought over the weekend.

Honestly, it confused me when he suggested it. Emmett had told me that since he wasn't going to be able to be around to help _constantly_ with his I should probably get my own to study with. But he _had_ said that studying would help... so two-thousand dollars and two days later I had a shiny pink Macbook sitting on my lap in the middle of Criminal Law 101.

I stopped drumming with a sigh and tried listening to whatever Professor Callahan was talking about again.

"_Mens rea_ helps determine whether or not the defendant in a case can be deemed guilty of his crime or not," Callahan spoke smoothly and quickly and I frowned lightly as I tried to understand what he meant. "For instance," he continued with a wave of his hand, "_mens rea_ literally means 'guilty mind' or 'criminal mind.' If a person was not in the right state of mind when he or she committed the crime, then they cannot truly be convicted of it. People with mental disorders who are accused of crimes are often unable to be seen as guilty since their _minds_ are not aware of the fact that the crime was even committed, or are not aware of the severity of it. There ar--" His voice zoned out again and I had to fight the urge to groan.

It wasn't that I didn't want to listen--well, okay, maybe it was partially because I didn't want to listen--but I just _couldn't_. It was so boring and... _boring_. I didn't understand how anyone could want to listen to this stuff. I would much rather be at my hair appointment with Paulette than here--but then again, who wouldn't?

It seemed like forever before Callahan dismissed the class with a wave of his hand and I quickly closed my laptop and headed towards the door, my cellphone out before I had even reached it.

"Elle! Hey, wait up!"

I paused momentarily at Emmett's voice, turning slightly to offer him a smile before I continued walking. "Hi."

"Whoa, wait up a second here, Elle." Emmett sped up and fell into step next to me, his hands shoved into the pockets of his sweatshirt. "Where are you going?"

"I... have a hair appointment," I told him matter-of-factly as I typed up a text-message to Paulette. _Class ran later than expected... be there soon._ Emmett blinked at me.

"At, uh, what time?"

"Half an hour ago," I mumbled lightly and when he gave me a strange look I shrugged. "I'm used to getting kicked out of class, I guess I didn't expect to... be kept _in _it for once."

"That's... kind of what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. Elle--" Emmett grabbed my shoulder firmly and I stopped, turning to look at him in confusion. Emmett sighed. "Look, Elle, you _didn't_ get kicked out of class today, that's great. But do you even know what Callahan _talked_ about?"

"Um," I stared at him as I tried to remember what I had heard Callahan say in class. "... Medea?"

Emmett laughed lightly before shaking his head. "Maybe if you were taking a class on Greek literature. _Mens rea_."

"Men's _what_?" I stared at him. "Is that some sort of clothing line?" Emmett cracked a smile.

"No, it's Latin." He shook his head at me. "Elle, you looked like you weren't even paying attention during the entire lecture. You need to listen in class if you want to learn, you know."

I scoffed lightly at him, flipping my cell phone open as Paulette texted me back. _Hurry up, girl!_ "It's not _my_ fault he's boring to listen to." He flinched lightly at my somewhat harsh tone and I shot him an apologetic glance. "Look, I'll try, okay? But I _really_ need to go to this thing. I'm already late." I shrugged his hand gently off my shoulder and waved as I crossed the remaining distance to my car.

"Chip on your shoulder, Elle," Emmett called after me. "And don't forget that I'm coming over to help you study tonight!"

"Eight o'clock, I know!" I called back at him as I climbed in my car and started it. "Bye!"

I quickly pulled out of the parking lot, the copy of _Celtic Moods_ Paulette had given me playing softly through the speakers.

* * *

Okay, I honestly meant to do a longer chapter as a coming-back present... but this is what came out. Hehe, well, it's something! And I promise, promise, promise I'll start updating this more.

Also, I hope I never have to look up obscure law terms Callahan can talk about in his class that's not already scripted in the show again. XD Boring as anything.

So, yeah, reviews are nice but with the time it's taken me to update this I understand if you guys don't want to either. ^^; It's always appreciated, though!

-WS


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Emmett

So somehow I saved the wrong file as this and it totally disappeared, so here I am attempting to write the chapter again (or at least the part I did have written plus more). LOL, I fail. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy and I hope the shorter update time (though it still took me _forever_, sorry. :c At least it didn't take me another year) makes you happy!

_Awahili_, I owe you 3+ chapters. Hopefully this is a good start. :D

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Emmett**

* * *

When Elle rounded the corner to her room with her keys out five minutes before eight I couldn't help but smile to myself as I pushed myself off the wall to greet her. "Hey, Miss Woods, comma Elle. You're early."

She smiled at me lightly as she fiddled with the lock and keys. "I told you I would be here in time, silly." The lock clicked and Elle opened the door with a triumphant laugh. I shook my head in amusement as I hoisted my bag higher on my shoulder and followed her inside.

I'm not going to lie, I had a feeling that no matter how often I would be in this apartment over the next couple of weeks--or months, however much time it took--I would never get used to the pink. It wasn't that I hated the color... I just wasn't used to seeing it in such _abundance_. It was like I had walked out of one world and into another.

Elle must have chalked my awkward hesitation up to not knowing where to sit because the next thing I knew she had pulled up a plush chair (unsurprisingly pink as well) next to her bed, patting it with her hand before plopping onto the bed herself.

"Okay, uh..." I eyed the chair warily for just a second before settling into it, letting my bag slide off my shoulder and into my lap. I unclasped it, taking my laptop out and starting it up before I asked, "How much Latin do you know?"

Elle propped herself up on her elbows, raising her eyebrows at me. "Why would I need to know a language for law?"

"Do you remember going over _mens rea_ in class today?" I asked, and Elle tilted her head at me. Taking that as a confirmation I continued. "_Mens rea..._ is one of many Latin terms used in law. Ah... 'guilty mind,' remember?" I bit my lip as I browsed through my documents for the file I needed, opening it with a breath when I found it. I spared an apologetic glance up at Elle's rapidly falling face, offering her a small smile.

"We really have to do this?" she whined slightly and I shrugged in response.

"Hey," I told her, "you're the one who came to law school on a whim. Okay, so, _actus reus_..."

We studied for a while. Or, rather, I read her terms and gave her definitions and she tried to connect with them. It wasn't always successful but I had to give her props for trying. For coming in with no prior law experience or knowledge she wasn't doing _too_ horribly. She did have a long way to go, that was for sure, but... well, baby steps. Baby steps were always good.

"_Sub judice_," I provided her and I saw her face scrunch just slightly as she tried to recall it in her memory, her fingers tapping against her leg as she leaned back against the headboard. I could tell she was frustrated with herself as she huffed out a sigh, glancing over at me pitifully.

"Sorry." The corner of her lip pulled up slightly in a sort of apologetic smile. "I'm just not good at this."

I shook my head at her, setting my laptop down on her bedside table. "Oh, come on, Elle. We barely started an hour and a half ago. You're _new _at this. I'm not expecting you to be a genius at law right away."

Bruiser chose that moment to jump onto the bed, padding over to Elle and nudging her knee with his nose. He yapped at her, once, before turning his gaze on me. I blinked owlishly at him and he blinked back before yapping again, jumping off the bed and trotting over towards the door.

"Is he trying to get us out of the room?" I asked incredulously, and Elle stood up quickly, half-walking, half-hopping towards the door.

"Maybe he's saying we should... take a break," Elle suggested subtly and I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my sweater. Elle squealed slightly in delight as she grasped Bruiser's leash, clasping it onto his collar.

"Just a quick walk to Coldstone's," I told her. "Don't get to excited."

"It's a _break_, Emmett," Elle told me with a bright smile, "I'm going to get excited."

I laughed at her as we left the room and headed on our walk, Bruiser trotting a few steps ahead of us in triumph as we did.

* * *

I meant for this to be longer, but alas my muse once again had me cut this chapter off here. Well, in any case the next chapter _will_ be out sooner, I promise. And also--Noah will make a reappearance! :)

I hope you guys liked it!

-WS


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Elle

So... um... I might kinda-sorta be back. I read over the story today (since I was blessedly snowed in from having to go to work and had time) to regain my bearings and try to remember some of the ideas I had, so maybe... It's weird, my writing style has changed quite a bit since I started this whole project, mostly because I'm a terrible procrastinator with multi-chapter fics, but maybe now I'll finally be able to get this done.

I want to thank everyone who's found this and reviewed/alerted/favourited since I last updated, because it's primarily you guys who have reminded me periodically to not give up on this piece.

That said, let's see how long it takes me to update again after this chapter... heh. I'll try to become more frequent, but I have a feeling I've said that before... fingers crossed.

Also, as I write this, I should be reading over 200 pages of _Moby Dick_. Be grateful that I enjoy procrastination. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Legally Blonde, the movie or the musical. I just like to expand on its wonderful story. :)

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Elle**

* * *

I silently thanked Bruiser as Emmett and I walked him to Coldstone's; the Latin in the room had really begun feeling a little overwhelming. I knew it was silly to expect to become a genius in law overnight, but I hadn't really expected it to go straight over my head, or in one ear and out the other, or whatever other phrases people use these days. Here I had been expecting an easy ride through school with Emmett's help, but it still wasn't making any sense.

Boston was cold at night, I realized, shrugging myself further into my coat. Living in California all my life had gotten me used to the warmer-than-warm days and the lukewarm nights.

"It must be different in California," Emmett mused from my side, and I glanced over at him to see that he had noticed me pulling my jacket tighter around my shoulders.

"Yeah," I conceded, smiling a little. "At night it doesn't really get much colder than the mid-to-high fifties. At least where I live." He grinned a little lopsidedly.

"And here I am taking you to Coldstone's. Starbucks is too far of a walk, unfortunately, or else I'd take you there."

"Ah," I waved the hand that wasn't holding Bruiser's leash dismissively, "it's okay. I needed a break."

"Obviously _he_ thought so," Emmett laughed, motioning towards my dog. Bruiser, as if sensing he had entered the conversation, looked up at him and yipped with a wag of his tail.

The rest of the walk was pretty silent until we got to the store, but it was a companionable silence. It had been so long since I'd felt one of these, and it was definitely welcome.

_Don't get too used to it, Elle,_ I chastised myself. _You're only doing this to get back to Warner. Once that's done, so is Harvard._

I glanced guiltily towards Emmett as he suddenly rushed forward and opened the door for me. I appreciated his help, I really did, and I definitely welcomed his friendship... but I hoped he knew that this wasn't a four-year thing. I wasn't going to sit and bore myself out of four years of my life, no sirree.

The inside of Coldstone's was refreshingly warm, and I quickly took my coat off and settled it carefully on the back of a chair. Emmett didn't even bother to take his off, and instead headed straight towards the counter, glancing over the ingredients and starting a friendly chat with the worker. They seemed to recognize each other, and I wondered if Emmett came here often.

I looked curiously up at the pre-made flavours hanging above the counter as Emmett spouted out a list of toppings he wanted on his vanilla ice cream. Yeah, he definitely came here a lot.

"And you, miss?" I blinked, glancing at the worker -- a young girl, probably in high school still.

"Oh, um... I'll have the Berry, Berry..." I looked at the sign again, "Berry Good, please."

"I pictured you as a chocolate kind of girl," Emmett quipped as another worker handed him his personalized ice cream, and I laughed as I handed the cashier the money for mine.

"Well, Bruiser's here," I said by way of explanation, and Bruiser tilted his head at me questioningly. "Yes, that's right, I'm going to share," I told him, and his tail wagged.

"You really love your dog," Emmett noted as he pulled out the chair across from the one I had put my jacket on, and I shrugged as I watched my ice cream being made.

"Well... yeah. 'He's not a dog, he's family,' remember?"

Emmett made a small noise of recognition as the worker handed my ice cream to me, and I thanked him before going to sit down. Emmett was staring at his ice cream intensely, and I almost thought he had zoned out before he suddenly flicked his gaze to mine.

"In UCLA, how did you learn?" he asked, and I took a bite of my ice cream.

"What do you mean, how did I learn?"

"I looked at your file," Emmett told me, "Last night. You got practically straight A's at UCLA, and I already knew you weren't stupid. If I'm going to help you study law, I need to know which ways you learn best."

My eyes widened, my mouth forming a sort of 'o' shape in recognition. There were a few things I never really thought about, and how I learned was definitely among them. I frowned in thought for a moment before stopping -- I was too young for frown lines, after all.

How _did_ I learn?

"I don't know," I admitted, leaning down to give a spoonful to Bruiser, who lapped it up happily. "I... just did. I've always been interested in fashion, so it just came naturally to me."

"In class, that first day, you wanted to answer the hypothetical question about the guy who ran over the dogs," Emmett reminded me, and I almost blushed before I stopped myself. That sure hadn't been the highlight of the day. "What were you going to say, do you remember?"

"I..." I trailed off in thought for a second before continuing, "I was going to say defending him wouldn't be worth it." Emmett leaned forward, obviously intrigued.

"Why?"

"Well," I let out a slow breath, unusually nervous. "Well, he already was a known mafia hit man, right? He'd already have some sort of record, and if he needed a lawyer it would mean he was caught. I've seen the movies, you know, his boss wouldn't bail him out because he didn't get the right man, and if the nun wasn't enough to get him time then the animal rights activists would by rallying in defense of the dogs he killed."

A slow smile started to spread over Emmett's face, and I couldn't tell if it was amused or not. "What?"

"I think, Elle," Emmett said, taking another spoonful and plopping it in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before continuing, "I think I know what to do now." He laughed brightly. "You just got out of studying the rest of tonight. I have some things I need to get done for tomorrow."

"We're done?" I brightened at that.

"For tonight," he said. "I'll be around your dorm again tomorrow around 6." He gave me a serious look, pointing at me. "Don't think you're getting out of this."

"Never," I said, my expression one of mock-seriousness, and Emmett shook his head, laughing again.

* * *

I think this ended up being more of a filler chapter, but I hope it's a decent return! What's Emmett planning, you wonder? Well, hopefully I won't keep you waiting _too_ long to find out this time. ;)

Thanks for reading!

--WS


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